"Changing lives by sharing God's love and hope with children in need"

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

IT’S FALL YA’LL

And that means our volunteers have been working diligently to transform the Mission House into an inviting and beautiful place to shop for items appropriate for the season. In this issue we would like to acknowledge, as our “Hearts and Hands” volunteers, three women who enjoy working together a few days a week and consistently do an amazing job keeping the carport and adjoining kitchen well-stocked with sales items. They are (left to right) Kelly Lipscomb, Janet Johnson, and Whitley Austin also known as the “Seasonal Girls”. They have this distinction because they are also responsible for sorting through donated items and selecting those that are commemorative of the various seasons and holidays in order to keep the displays attractive and current. Please read below their special invitation to stop by and shop.

Welcome to the carport and kitchen!

“If you are looking to add games and puzzles to your game room, expand your library, finish your child’s school supply list, or restock your office, stop by and shop. If you are furnishing your first kitchen or helping someone start theirs, we are stocked with everything from small appliances to kitchen utensils—well everything except the sink! But be warned, you will probably find something for your own home because, honestly, who doesn’t need more dishes? If you are planning to decorate for an upcoming holiday or season, stop by and shop! Want vintage dishes, jars or toys? Stop by and shop! How about lamps, photo frames, clocks and tchotchkes? Stop by and shop! And don’t forget to look in the glass cabinet for that special item for yourself!”

BLESSED BY PANERA

The Mabopane Foundation has been blessed for a number of years by Panera Bread which donates its remaining day-old baked goods to us for our Pop-Up Bake Sales. In the photograph shown here, Volunteer Barbara Dixon gets the donated Panera products displayed for the September 24-25 Pop-Up Bake Sale.

CRITICAL NEED FOR A VOLUNTEER TO HANDLE PICKUP AND DELIVERY

But these baked goods will no longer be available to us if we don’t have a volunteer willing to pick them up from Panera on Thursday nights and deliver them to the Mission House in preparation for our pop-up sales on Friday and Saturday twice a month. For several years, Bruce Morris has faithfully provided this service for which we are so grateful. Thank you so much Bruce for being such a loyal servant. But Bruce is finding it necessary to step down from this position effective with the first January sale in 2022.

Please consider stepping into this role. Bruce will be happy to meet you at Panera and provide step-by-step training.

Need help stringing Christmas lights or making your house shine for the holidays?

On October 4, Greg Horvarth (one of our Brew Believers Mission House volunteers) will open a house detailing franchise business for Cary/Apex called Shack Shine. Services include interior/exterior window washing, gutter cleaning, power washing, and installation of Christmas lights. We are so grateful to Greg who is already busy “shining” our Mission House and barn roof at no cost to Mabopane. He will also be installing Christmas lights in time for our Christmas events. Give him a call at (480) 570-2112 if you want your property to shine.

PLANNING AHEAD FOR THE HOLIDAYS

It is never too soon to start planning for the holidays and there are numerous ways that the Mabopane Foundation can make this an easier process and more fun for you.:

1. Between now and the first part of December when the Mission House closes until January, you will have 4 more weekends to shop: October 8-9; October 29-30; November 12-13; and November 26-27 which is our year-end clearance and half-price sale on all Thanksgiving and Christmas merchandise.

This year we are excited to be offering something new!

On Thursday, November 11, we will have a Christmas Preview—a special night of excellent food, drink, and shopping while surrounded by the sights, scents, and sounds of the Christmas season. The preview will be an exclusive event by ticket entry only. The ticket price is $35.00 per person or $60.00 per couple. We will have more information about this exciting event soon. Pop-Up sales will be held as usual.

2. Interested in children’s clothing and toys and miscellaneous items for the baby? Barbara Martin collects these donated items and houses them in her garage. Between large consignment sales, you can shop directly from her garage where items are appropriately sorted and hung. Fall/winter clothing is available from April until October and Spring/Summer clothing from November until March. Barbara can be reached at (919) 362-0789 or email her at bdbasket@aol.com.

3. What about a fancy dress and accessories for your holiday parties? No guarantees—but you might find them and much more at the Designer Consignors sale at Crossroads Plaza in Cary. The next event is September 30—October 2.

4. Need desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas? One of Becky Young’s pound cakes is sure to be a hit. These can be purchased from the Mission House for $30. Proceeds support Becky’s travel fund for trips to South Africa.

5. Know about Amazon Smile? Go to smile.amazon.com for all of your Amazon shopping needs. Just designate Mabopane as your charitable organization. There is no extra cost and Mabopane will receive a monthly donation of 0.5% of the purchase price of the items you order. Almost one million 501-C-3 charitable organizations participate in this program.

IT’S EASY WITH ACH

If you are not already doing so, Have you considered making your donations to the Mabopane Foundation through Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments? ACH is an electronic network that allows people to directly transfer funds between two bank accounts. While we will never turn down a paper check at Mabopane, there are many good reasons for using an ACH payment system:

You can save yourself the hassle of filling out a paper check, purchasing a stamp, and driving to the post office to mail it. AND, if you donate on a recurring basis, you won’t have to rely on your memory when it is time to send another donation. It is also a big time-saver to the financial assistant, bookkeeper, and treasurer who work to keep the books balanced;
Transaction fees are less expensive in the long run. Credit and debit card transactions are most expensive. Paper checks have the lowest transaction cost but end up costing Mabopane Foundation more through time;
Using an ACH payment system reduces human error.

Vanco is our ACH payment processor and offers a safe and secure way to send a onetime ACH donation or schedule a recurring gift. Please feel free to speak with Mabopane’s treasurer, Marjorie Morris, if you have any questions. Marjorie may be reached at 919-608-2553.

CALLED TO STEP OUT IN FAITH

Earlier this year, I felt called to return to our Ya Bana Children’s Village after a two-year absence because of COVID and flight restrictions. However, just a few days prior to my leaving, I received a call that Mama Rebecca, one of our precious house mothers at the village, had died that morning from COVID, and two other mothers had tested positive and were quite ill.

My family was understandably concerned about my going and our entire family had a Zoom meeting before church that morning to discuss the matter. I prayed without ceasing for clear direction. At some point, I glanced at some photos of my grandchildren and was reminded of the many times I shared with them what faith was all about. Hebrews 11:1 says that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” At Stanley’s suggestion I called George, our Village Father to see how he felt about my coming. George said, “Yes, please come Mama Becky. We need to be encouraged!” There was my answer. I was called to go and I must put my trust in God. Stanley said that he saw a transformation on my face and knew I was going.

A pediatrician friend from Johannesburg, SA agreed to get together vitamins and medicine for everyone in the village. And then God directed me to Psalm 139:7-10 which assured me that no matter where I am or what I am doing, He will be there loving, guiding, protecting, and encouraging me and my family. I felt totally at peace….that is until I got to the village.

COVID had closed down everything! No Sunday church or Friday night Praise and Worship services, no outings for almost two years, no grocery store visits, no school. And then discovering that a Ya Bana Mom had just passed away from COVID and two other moms were quite ill; that the Volunteer Executive Director and her husband both tested positive for COVID. And on top of all that, the solar well water pump for the village burned up and city water supply shut down for weeks for a major repair leaving the village and community without water. It was overwhelming to the Village. And I knew that I was called there to encourage everyone.

As it turned out, they also encouraged me beyond belief. I would like to give God the glory for putting us all together at that time in order to come up with a plan that would glorify Him. Here is some of what was accomplished by putting our heads together and coming up with a plan:

Bottled drinking water was brought in from the city. Trash cans and buckets were filled to flush toilets, bathe and wash clothes from a contaminated Ya Bana well used only for irrigation. Ya Bana shared their water with their community
Immediately, daily staff devotion, church service and Friday, Praise & Worship resumed.
We celebrated Mandela Day at our entrance gate by sharing God’s love through song and inspirational posters the children made. Ya Bana wanted this community to know that we were choosing to praise Him at all times, in spite of COVID.
Ya Bana held a talent show honoring God, who had uniquely and wonderfully made each child, celebrating Him for their giftedness.
Wonderful meals were shared together with Ya Bana staff and we praised God for miraculously continuing salaries.
The children, staff, the Ya Bana Management team, and their families, were all able to attend a Christian Camp where they enjoyed nature, wildlife, wonderful games, delicious meals and amazing devotions!
Lastly, two additional workdays were provided for the management team to enjoy undivided attention working on an extremely long Ya Bana agenda.

I have tried to capture a few of the many highlights of my trip for you on camera and these pictures can be seen on the next page.

I want to thank each one of you for your prayers and provisions throughout this trip. Please be encouraged. Choose not to live in fear but put your trust in God—no matter what you are facing; and always know that He is with you. I love you all and thank God for you every day.

Love and blessings,

Mama Becky

BLESSINGS FOR SHADRACK

BY Naomi Brink

“I do not need to know the beginning of a child’s story to change the ending”. Fi Newood

Shadrack came to call Ya Bana home in 2014 when he was twelve-years-old. He has since been diagnosed with Hypertropia – misalignment of the eyes. He was enrolled in the Special Education Department at Prinshof School for the Blind where learners are only able to progress to Grade 9 and then must leave.

The ideal is for a learner from Special Education to proceed through a vocational course at a Technical college. However, because of language barriers encountered at previous schools, Shadrack’s math and language skills did not meet the standards. Shadrack is an intelligent young man and has shown a lot of growth. He truly wishes to study at Optima College for the Blind. But, unfortunately, Optima College requires completion of grade 10 to qualify for further study.

A good option for him was to do Grade 10 on-line over a two-year period but he would need a tutor. Miraculously, a wonderful teacher, ideal for teaching Shadrack, contacted me. Teacher Amanda is dedicated and committed to Shadrack’s progress. Last year he passed English first language , math literacy and life orientation. This year he is studying Afrikaans language, Business studies, Geography and Computer application technology. During this time, Amanda realized that his laptop was old, software was outdated, and some keys were not even working. Amanda also suspected that Shadrack could not see his screen properly.

Then another miracle happened! Prior to leaving for South Africa, Becky asked if Shadrack had any special needs. Praise God, with extra funds donated by Debbie and Jim Meadows, who have been assisting Shadrack with his home school expenses, I was able to order a new laptop, special keyboard and software to enlarge the screen. These caring individuals also assist Kgothatso, another Ya Bana child, attending Prinshof School for the Blind. Without the support and assistance of Ya Bana Village, Mabopane Foundation and Debbie and Jim, I do not know what would become of Shadrack. Thank you for giving this child a future to which he can look forward.

“Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be." Rita Pierson

Pictures from the trip

Celebrating Mandela Day with inspiring posters.

Ya Bana Village kids were super excited about going to camp.

Love at first sight

This cute baby girl is Mohau Becky Taldi (Baby Becky), daughter of Michel and Nana. Some of you may remember Michael as a Love in Action kid who served at the Mission House many years ago.
Baby Becky was born on May 29, 2020 during COVID. Although she had only seen me during video calls, she was in no way reluctant to reach out and give me (her “Gogo”) the biggest hug ever when I arrived in South Africa. It was love at first sight.

Newsletter - September 2021